http:// spacenews.com/digitalglobe-and-saudi-government-sign-joint-venture-on-satellite-imaging-constellation/

Taqnia has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Sunnyvale, California, to build a satellite assembly plant on Saudi soil, with the necessary technology transfer occurring in the context of a contract under which Lockheed is building two telecommunications satellites for Riyadh-based Arabsat, a major commercial satellite fleet operator.“Partnering with the premier commercial satellite imaging firm will help to propel the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to become a leader in remote sensing and satellite technology,” Taqnia Chairman and KACST President H.H. Dr. Turki Bin Saud said in a statement.

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https:// mdacorporation.com/geospatial/international/satellites

https:// mdacorporation.com/geospatial/international/satellites/worldview-3

Surveillance and Intelligence: MDA offers end-to-end solutions to monitor and manage changes and activities worldwide

WASHINGTON — DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-4 high-resolution-imaging satellite entered service this week, following nearly three months of in-orbit testing and calibration.

DigitalGlobe announced Feb. 3 that WordView-4 had begun serving its first so-called direct-access customer. These customers, usually governments, sign long-term contracts with DigitalGlobe in exchange for guaranteed access to the company’s satellites when they are passing over specified territories.

WorldView-4, like the WorldView-3 satellite that launched in 2014, was built to collect 30-centimeter-resolution imagery. That’s sharp enough to distinguish between cars, trucks and vans and read street markings.

http:// spacenews.com/worldview-4-digitalglobes-newest-satellite-enters-service/

Canada’s MDA Corporation announced last week it will acquire Earth-Imaging Company DigitalGlobe including its commercial satellite fleet capable of delivering the highest resolution imagery available on the commercial market, bringing together leading optical and radar observation systems under one roof.

MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates announced the $2.4-billion deal on February 24 after DigitalGlobe signed off on the agreement expected to be closed in the second half of 2017 – pending U.S. government regulatory approvals. The acquisition will allow MDA to become an end-to-end space contractor with branches for satellite development & construction, space communications, robotic technology, and space-based data collection in both optical and radar.

Additionally, DigitalGlobe is partnering with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz City of Science and Technology and Taqnia Space to manufacture six small Scout imaging satellites to deliver supplementary imagery at high revisit times to complement data delivered by the larger satellites.

http:// spaceflight101.com/mda-corporation-announces-acquisition-of-digitalglobe/